prep, prep, prep

With just a few days before Ella's first birthday party, this household has been busy with preparations.  Everything definitely takes longer to accomplish nowadays, what with a budding toddler to chase around and all.  But thankfully, I have great backup, and things are getting done and I'm even getting to enjoy the process.

I figured instead of one big blog post about her birthday, I'd break it up.  So I'm starting with the things I've been working on.

In the spirit of her secret garden-themed party, I ordered invitations from Etsy that folded into vintage-style seed packets.  Inside, I included a hand-stamped skeleton key for guests to use as access to this "exclusive" event.  The "seed packets" were then sealed with a hand-stamped wax seal with her initial, of course.

(We decided on the garden theme because Ella loves the outdoors, and can literally spend hours just looking at the flora and fauna.  She especially loves identifying birds and watching butterflies flutter in the sky.  So I thought it would be only fitting to throw her a garden-themed party.)

I then recruited Donna and Ashley to help with making party hats (because what's a children's party without hats?).  We cut different patterned paper into circles, then folded them into small, cone-shaped hats.  Then Ashley and I went to town, decorating each one for each guest to wear.

Lastly, I made some special snack boxes for the kids, using some berry baskets I got from Etsy and embellishing them with flowers and personalizing them by hand-stamping their names.